Job Opportunities

Marine Mammal Biologist/Data Scientist

GCOOS is seeking a highly motivated and skilled marine mammal biologist and data scientist interested in contributing to the understanding of marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico as part of the team of our CETACEAN Project with NOAA. This project seeks the integration of a database useful in supporting plans and performance tracking of population restoration efforts during the next several years.

The CETACEAN Biologist and Data Scientist will work closely with the Project Manager and Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure Team to identify, gather, and QA/QC available data that is useful to achieve project goals with the guidance of the project’s Executive Committee.

This is an ideal role for someone with a solid background in marine mammal biology, ecology, health, and/or management training and experience. The CETACEAN Biologist and Data Scientist responsibilities will include:

• Discovering available data (primary data types in this project are population, environment/habitat, and threats);
• Identifying priorities within different data types and databases;
• Reviewing suitability of data for contributing to project objectives;
• Developing collaboration agreements with data providers;
• Reviewing and implementing exploratory data analysis, and QA/QC datasets

Additional skills and experience in project management, project communication, data science and GIS, and ability to work cooperatively will be appreciated.

This is a two-year remote work contract position that offers competitive compensation commensurate with experience.

• Contact: Grant Craig, GCOOS CETACEAN Project Manager, grant.craig@gcoos.org
• Downloadable PDF of job announcement

Texas A&M University – Sea Grant Director

The Director of the Sea Grant Program assumes overall responsibility for leadership and programmatic oversight of Texas Sea Grant. Together with staff distributed across the state of Texas, the Director builds successful partnerships across numerous and diverse regions and constituencies, and facilitates high-impact research, outreach, education and communications activities to increase the understanding, wise use of and stewardship of Texas’s ocean and coastal resources. The Director is responsible for strategic visioning and implementation of research, outreach, education, and communications to advance science and its public relevance in Texas, and to facilitate progressive solutions that are mission-driven and have significant impact. Critical focus areas include: Stem literacy and workforce development; Healthy coastal ecosystem; Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; and Resilient communities and economies. The Director oversees and serves as principal investigator for an annual budget of about $2.6 million that is divided between competitively awarded research grants and fellowships and support for staff dispersed across the state of Texas. The Director reports directly to Vice President for Research.

• Details

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration – Research Biologist

This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), with one vacancy in Miami, FL. As a Research Biologist, you will perform the following duties:

• Maintain expert knowledge of research allocations and funding. Prepare and submit written budget proposals to obtain funding. Establish/maintain project/program budget. Determine equipment and facility requirements. Provide scientific direction to peers and colleagues.
• Plan and conduct experiments. Collect, analyze and interpret data. Draw conclusions and make recommendations for future work required. Publish technical reports and peer reviewed papers and giving scientific presentations on the research findings. Design and participate in multidisciplinary field research. Collaborate with ecosystem scientists from other research institutions.
• Develop short- and long-term needs assessment research. Coordinate and develop new precedents and guidelines requiring the use of advanced scientific techniques. Integrate emerging technologies into program systems and concepts and determines impact on tactics, techniques and procedures.
• Engage with laboratory staff in methods associated with ‘omics laboratory techniques and bioinformatics analyses. Investigate new molecular genetic laboratory and analytical methods and incorporates them as appropriate into the Program’s research. Plan field research and organize and participate in scientific expeditions at sea. With oversight of the Omics group, engage and coordinate with Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) leadership, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) labs and programs, other National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Line Offices, and non-NOAA external partners to integrate and leverage AOML Omics approaches, techniques, and tools with complementary and related research activities.
• Details

Florida State University – Faculty Position

The Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science (EOAS) at the Florida State University (FSU) invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the area of Large-Scale Physical Oceanography. The ideal candidate should have a solid background in addressing fundamental research questions about the functioning of the ocean from regional to global scales. Applications from those skilled in observational analyses, measurements, modeling, theory and/or interdisciplinary investigations will be particularly welcomed.  Appointees are expected to develop and maintain a vigorous externally funded research program in their specialty area of interest and to teach courses and contribute to both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the department. Candidates must hold a Doctoral degree or the highest degree appropriate in Geosciences or a related field. EOAS is housed in a recent building (2020) with state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories, has 39 academic faculty members and approximately 135 graduate students, and offers undergraduate and/or graduate degrees in Geology, Meteorology, Oceanography, and Environmental Sciences. FSU also hosts a local High Performance Computing Center. Aside from the faculty within EOAS, the successful candidate can expect collaborations with the Center for Ocean-Atmosphere Prediction Studies, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute, the Marine Lab, and the departments of Mathematics and Scientific Computing. For additional information on EOAS and FSU’s resources, please check https://www.eoas.fsu.edu/ and https://www.eoas.fsu.edu/research/#Research%20Facilities.

• Details

Board on Gulf Education and Engagement – Program Officer

University of Southern Mississippi – Associate Marine Instrumentation Specialist

The University of Southern Mississippi is currently accepting applications for the position of Associate Marine Instrumentation Specialist. The School of Ocean Science and Engineering is located at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center, which is a “federal city” that boasts the world’s largest concentration of marine scientists. The successful candidate will be required to pass a NASA background security check as well as a USM employment background check. This position requires working at sea and some nights and weekends. This position will have the opportunity to assist the research team with ocean observing operation, maintenance, and calibration of the High Frequency Radar (HFR) systems, buoyancy glider fleet, meteorological/oceanographic buoys, and other ocean observing platforms.

• Details

Postdoctoral Positions

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) – Postdoctoral Associate

Applications for the postdoctoral fellowship program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) are currently being accepted! MBARI’s mission is to advance marine science and engineering to understand our changing ocean. Our work focuses on diverse areas of marine and engineering research—from atoms to ecosystems. MBARI is dedicated to the development of innovative instrumentation, systems, and methods supporting scientific research in the oceans. Teams of scientists and engineers are collaborating to build innovative tools to transform what we know about ocean processes and ocean health. Ongoing programs at MBARI span marine robotics, ocean physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and engineering. Postdoctoral Fellows conduct independent research in association with one or more mentors to advance their training and career development while bringing new perspectives and skills to collaborations within MBARI. Applicants should connect with potential research sponsors at MBARI, see list below, for guidance on project feasibility, relevance to ongoing research projects, resource availability, and expected start date. Offers will be made to selected candidates from the fields of biological, chemical and physical oceanography, marine geology, and engineering. Candidates must be awarded a Ph.D. degree prior to commencing the two-year appointment starting between 2023 and 2024 and complete the fellowship onsite.

• Details

Mississippi State University – Postdoctoral Associate

The principal function of the postdoc is to contribute to configuring a high-resolution ocean-biogeochemical model for the South Florida region, and use this model to simulate and analyze past and projected regional oceanographic patterns, with an especial focus in five marine ecosystem stressors: ocean acidification, hypoxia, harmful algal blooms (HABs), warming, and eutrophication. The outputs of the ocean-biogeochemical model will be used to characterize stressors impacts on relevant coastal species from the South Florida Shelf and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). The postdoc will be based at the NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in Miami, Florida. She/he will be part of a multidisciplinary team, which includes researchers at NOAA, Mississippi State University, University of Miami, University of South Florida, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, and Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association.

• Details

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center – Animal Telemetry Postdoctoral Fellow

The Smithsonian Institution seeks an energetic, field- and data-oriented biologist to support marine animal telemetry research and to assist with activities of the Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry (ACT) Network. The position is based in SERC’s Fisheries Conservation Lab, led by Dr. Matt Ogburn (https://serc.si.edu/labs/fisheries-conservation). It is a one-year renewable position with up to three years of funding currently available. The fellow will contribute to one or more grant-funded projects that involve applying acoustic telemetry to investigate coastal migrations of elasmobranchs, teleosts, and invertebrates. In the first year, the postdoc will primarily assist the ACT Network and regional stakeholders in coordinating with offshore wind energy companies and their relevant contract entities to securely manage and deliver acoustic telemetry data. This project includes assisting with the development of best practices and data product guidance to optimize the utility of acoustic telemetry data for decision-making processes. Additional opportunities involve new field research and data analysis exploring the habitat use and migration ecology of species inhabiting Chesapeake Bay and the western North Atlantic Ocean and engaging in the Smithsonian-led Movement of Life initiative. To apply, please send the following as a single PDF document to Matt Ogburn (ogburnm@si.edu): Curriculum Vitae, cover letter summarizing relevant experience, and the names and full contact information (email, phone, postal address) of three references. Review of applications will begin on 17 August 2023 until the position is filled. Anticipated start date September or October 2023.

NOAA; National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences – Postdoctoral and Senior Associates

The National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research seeks a postdoctoral scientist in remote sensing photogrammetry of coastal and marine habitats using unoccupied autonomous systems. The program conducts research and syntheses to develop decision support tools, geospatial models, and data products to inform coastal ecosystem management. They use a suite of field sampling and remote-sensing tools, advanced underwater remote sensing and hydroacoustics technologies, underwater optics, autonomous underwater vehicles and scuba diving to design ecological assessments and experiments to understand impacts of stressors on coastal marine ecosystems. The primary focus for this opportunity will develop remote imaging techniques such as photogrammetry and structure-from-motion using airborne and underwater optics to develop high-resolution digital models for use in ecological research and modeling for the assessment of coral reef ecosystems and restoration.

• Details 

NRC Research Associateship Programs Postdoctoral and Senior Research Awards

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine sponsors awards for postdoctoral and senior researchers at participating federal laboratories and affiliated institutions.  These awards include generous stipends ranging from $45,000 – $80,000 per year for recent Ph.D. recipients, and higher for additional experience.  Limited graduate level awards are also available. These awards provide the opportunity for recipients to do independent research in some of the best-equipped and staffed laboratories in the U.S. Research opportunities are open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and for some of the laboratories, foreign nationals.

• Details

Fellowships and Internships

Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship

The 2024 Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship program is a partnership between Nova Southeastern University’s National Coral Reef Institute, NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs, and the U.S. Coral Reef All Islands Committee. The program recruits Coral Reef Management Fellows for the seven U.S. coral reef jurisdictions (American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) to address current capacity gaps and to build longer-term capacity in these locations. This is done by placing highly qualified individuals whose education and work experience meet each jurisdiction’s specific coral reef management needs. The program’s goal is to develop a thriving collaborative fellowship program that builds excellent next-generation leaders and capacity for effective local coral reef ecosystem management.

• Details

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration – Coastal Management Fellowship

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship was established in 1996 to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management programs. Up to nine fellows are placed with state coastal programs every year. The program matches postgraduate students to work on projects proposed by state coastal zone management programs and selected by NOAA. This two-year opportunity offers a competitive salary, medical benefits, and travel and relocation expense reimbursement. Placement for the Coastal Management Fellowship positions is fully integrated into the placement process with the Digital Coast Fellowship positions. Candidates apply to the Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowship program as a whole, and selected candidates will be eligible to interview with both the state coastal programs and the Digital Coast partnership organizations at the fellowship matching workshop.

• Details

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

The Gulf Research Program’s Early-Career Research Fellowship supports emerging scientific leaders as they take risks on research ideas not yet tested, pursue unique collaborations, and build a network of colleagues who share their interest in improving offshore energy system safety and the well-being of coastal communities and ecosystems. Because the early years of a researcher’s career are a critical time, the relatively unrestricted funds and mentoring this fellowship provides help recipients navigate this period with independence, flexibility, and a built-in support network. They will be opening the 2021 Early-Career Research Fellowship Application Cycle with significant changes to the fellowship program structure by introducing a three-topic track system with application periods spread out over the year. The three tracks, aligned with the Gulf Research Program’s program areas, are:

• • • Human Health and Community Resilience
    • Environmental Protection and Stewardship
    • Offshore Energy Safety
    • Details

Department of Defense – Visualization of Coastal Data

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) performs research on ocean, estuarine, riverine, and watershed systems in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Department of Defense (DOD) Task Force in support of the Ocean Commission. A multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and support personnel work in CHL’s internationally known, unique facilities. This team has developed state-of-the-art experimental and computational models for solving water resource problems worldwide. Physical facilities of approximately 1.7 million square feet and high-performance computing facilities at the DOD Supercomputing Research Center (http://www.erdc.hpc.mil) are the basic infrastructure for producing cutting-edge products for successful coastal, inland water resources, and navigation management. CHL work, although primarily in support of the DOD and the Corp’s districts, also interfaces with other federal, state and local agencies, academia, conservation groups, and the general public, as appropriate. The Research Participation Program for USACE-ERDC-CHL provides opportunities to participate in new and on-going applied research and development projects. Research projects range from design guidance to three-dimensional computational models. Focus is placed on inland and coastal navigation, military logistics over the shore, dredging, flood control, storm and erosion protection, waterway restoration, fish passage, hydro-environmental modeling, water/land management, and other water and sediment-related issues facing the nation.

• Details

Department of Defense – Coastal Vulnerability Assessment Fellow

The Environmental Laboratory (EL) is one of the seven laboratories of U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (USACE-ERDC), which is the Army Corps of Engineers’ integrated research and development (R&D) organization. EL provides solutions to environmental challenges for the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense and the Nation through environmental science and engineering research and development. Researchers in EL conduct research in ecosystem science and technology, environmental resiliency, environmental sensing, ecological modeling and forecasting, risk and decision science, environmentally sustainable material, systems biology, climate change, computational chemistry, environmental chemistry and environmental security. Under the guidance of a mentor, you will participate in a coastal research project focused on developing stochastic assessments of coastal water levels and erosion risk under past, present and future climates.

• Details